Shū Maiko
is a supporting character in the Nisekoi series. He is a companion and best friend of Raku, whom he has known since pre-school, and is often described as cheerful and silly, though a more serious side becomes percepible as the story progresses. Shū was the first person to work out on his own that Raku's and Chitoge's relationship was fake. Background Most knowledge given of Shū's background relates to his friendship with Raku; Shū and Raku have been friends ever since their pre-school years. Even though Raku was isolated in his classroom by his peers because of his association with a yakuza family, Shū would approach him when no one else did and consult his help in class. It is also revealed that, in 6th grade, Shū's mother was hospitalized, though medical details are unknown. During this time, he pretended to be cheerful as usual in the presence of Raku, but Raku noticed his lies beneath his fake smile. In Sui's introduction, it is revealed that he has a sort of "master-slave" relationship with her dating back to their childhoods, but it is only briefly mentioned. Personality On the surface, Shū is instantly recognized as a "happy-go-lucky" type of person. He is approachable, silly, mischevious, brightly cheerful, and almost always smiling or grinning. His antics label him as the class jokester and, often times, a source of regular comic relief. He expresses an obsession with cute girls and has been described as a skirt-chaser on multiple occasions; for this, some girls (such as Ruri and Tsugumi) regard him as a low-life pervert. Even though perverted, Shu is actually popular among the girls in his school, and during Valentine's day he received chocolates from various admirers. Shū also has a habit of meddling with other people's affairs, especially Raku's and Chitoge's fake relationship; he often tags alongside Raku and the gang in various events despite being uninvited. But even so, Shu has a healthy relationship with the girls crushing on his best-friend Raku. Beneath the surface, Shū is actually intelligent and perceptive, often using his persona of humor to elevate this intelligence from discovery. He is very observant; he was almost immediately able to deduct the unauthentic nature of Raku's and Chitoge's "relationship" and Kosaki's crush on Raku. Shū's grades and academic standing are surprisingly high, and he was ranked 22 of his class as a first-year in high school, and he even surpassed Ruri Miyamoto's rank (23). His 1st-year homeroom teacher, Kyoko-sensei, recognizes his maturity almost immediately as far above that from his peers. Shū is also secretive of his own feelings and hides them under a constant guise of playfulness and happiness. Though with a push from Raku, Shū is also shown to have a more serious side and that he prefers to stay optimistic and not to wallow in depression even in the face of hardships. It should also be noted that Shū is one of the only males in the story that fully supports Raku, and not halfheartedly like Raku's father. Relationships * Ruri Miyamoto: Shu's relationship with Ruri has been neutral at best. Although both can be seen tagging alone whenever their best friends are absent, Ruri shows complete annoyance over Shu's antics and pervertism. As comic relief, Shu would be the target of Ruri's constant abuse each time Shu commits lecherous behavior. But even so, Shu considers Ruri a valuable companion; due to each other's commitment to their friends. Even Ruri herself would occasionally respect what Shu has to say, even finding his words profound. Throughout the anime series, there are only a few instances where the two can be seen in a romantic light, such as the time where Ruri felt stoically dismayed when she learned that Shu recieved two love chocolates on Valentine's Day (Almost). Overall, both Ruri and Shu considers each other as "glasses buddies" because of their obvious similarities in eyewear (Nisekoi OVA:Loss / Shrine Maiden) * Kyoko-sensei: It was later found out in Chapter 84 that the woman Shu has a crush on was actually his homeroom teacher; Kyoko. Shu both admired and respected her throughout her time in the school. When news reached out that Kyoko was going to be married, Shu was deeply devastated, but even so he still kept his happy-go-lucky facade in front of his friends. Only Raku was the only one to pierce through Shu's mask. After a heartfelt talk, Shu tells Raku that it is better that he doesn't reveal his feelings for Kyoko, because it wouldn't matter anymore and that Kyoko is now going to live a new life, without him dragging her back. Appearance Shū is an high schooler of slightly above average height. He has short to medium messy blonde hair and wears glasses. Shū is nearly almost seen smiling or grinning, and sometimes illustrated with a cat-like smile when mischievous or playing antics. Abilities *'Photography:' Shū is known to have a hobby of hidden photography, which can be associated with his perverted side; many of his pictures are deemed as masterful. There are times when he uses his hobby for others; an example is when Shū took a picture of Ruri with her great-grandfather during the one time she smiled. * Character Analysis: Due to his mature inner personality, he is able to easily understand the situations and feelings many of the characters experience throughout the series (although, it may be noted that this may function more as a plot device). * Uncanny Timing: He is known for being able to enter a moment when his appearance would make the most impact, such as when he appears right as Ruri was to tell Raku that Kosaki liked him, and when he just happened to be present when Ruri called Raku so that he could join them on the trip to visit the former's great-grandfather. Again, this may however, simply be another plot device on the author's part. * Master Manipulator/Tactician: During the marathon chapter, he is able to not only gather all the males in the class against Raku (due to their unified hatred of him) but also able to establish an elaborate and near foolproof plan to keep him from winning.' ' Story First Year Arc Shu first appeared when Raku entered their classroom. Seeing Raku's state after getting kneed upon, he asks what happened. Raku answered that a girl kneed his face, but he did not believe him. After Kosaki Onodera puts a bandage on Raku's nose, he jokingly says, “Good for you, Raku,” which annoyed Raku. After a few days Chitoge Kirisaki transferred to their class, he asks Raku of their relationship. He replies that they're not even good friends. Shu then mentions that Chitoge is practically famous in their class. He even says that there're lots of questions concerning Chitoge in their class, like "Why did she transfer?". A few days after Raku and Chitoge's date as a fake couple, before Raku was able to explain to Kosaki of what really happened, Shu interrupts them and reveals that two of their classmates saw them on a date, which caught the whole attention of the class. Raku and Chitoge then puts up on a fake act (after seeing Claude and almost spilling the fact that they're a fake couple) of being chummy to each other, which the class cheered on. Shu joins in, saying that he's jealous of Raku having a girlfriend before him. Raku then asks him if Chitoge has any friends, but he replies that Raku's the boyfriend so he should know. Despite not being invited, he joins Raku and the others in their group study session. After asking him and Chitoge if they ever kissed, Raku drags him outside and reveals the truth. He then admits that he knew from the start. On the day of the swim meet, after Raku saves Chitoge from drowning, he lied to them, saying she isn't breathing. He said that Raku should give her artificial respiration. After she wakes up, he laughs uncontrollably. In the end, he asked something perverted, so ended up getting beaten up. Shu was said to be one of the few people other than Chitoge to know that Tsugumi is a girl. Second Year Arc Trivia * Shu's character either did not exist or was not named in the original concept for Nisekoi. There was a character that appeared to fulfill his role as Raku's close friend, but he was never called by name and his appearance differed entirely (dark hair, no glasses). Quotes Videos Category:Male characters